Deidara as the Blue Fairy
by Gothic Dancer
Summary: 19th Naruto Disney Princess story. Deidara grants Sasori, a wooden puppet, life, but it is up to the marionette to become human himself. Will he be able to become a real boy, even with the harsh temptations of the world around him?


Walt Disney and GothicDancer proudly present:

_Deidara as the Blue Fairy_ or Kishimoto's _Sasori

* * *

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_ When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true._

For the longest time, I didn't believe that. You know, that a wish could come true. But I have a story for you, and it's the story about how I changed my mind.

My name is Tobi, and I'm your average chibi. I go around from place to place looking for interesting people. One night, my travels brought me to a tiny village on the edge of a desert country. It was a pretty village, like something out of a picture book. The stars shone brightly in the night sky, like diamonds! The only sign of life in the sleepy little village was a light coming from a small house, so I decided to take a look.

The house was so charming! It was covered in cute clocks, small music boxes, and adorable toys. However, I couldn't see anyone home. The fire was burning in the hearth, so I decided to go in, not wanting it to go to waste.

As I warmed myself by the fire, I looked up to see a puppet sitting on the desk next to the fireplace. Smiling, I hopped up onto the chairs and then up to the desk to take a look. He was a cute little thing alright, a little boy puppet with bright red hair and big, brown eyes. He was well-crafted, too, made out of a good piece of wood.

Suddenly, I heard a sound coming from upstairs. "I think this paint will work just fine," an old woman said. I quickly hid myself and watched her come down the stairs, followed by a small chibi, only this one was much bigger than I (considering I'm smaller than the puppet). She passed another little creature as she set the paint down on the desk and went to work putting the finishing touches on the puppet. "There!" she laughed once she was done. "That makes him look a lot better. Now we need a name, and I have the perfect one. Sasori! Do you like it, Sandaime?"

The old woman turned to the chibi, and he shook his head in disapproval. She frowned and turned to the other creature. "Do you like it, Hiruko?" She sighed when he shook his head. "Well then, I'll just let him decide," she suggested, turning to the puppet. "Do you like the name?" She moved one of the strings, and the puppet's head bounced up and down. The old woman laughed. "See? He likes it! He's Sasori from now on. This calls for some music!"

I gasped as the old woman turned towards one of the music boxes and hid as quickly as I could. The woman pressed the button on the box, and a cheery tune began to play. I watched, smiling, as she played with Sasori, making him dance across the floor. "Aw, he's so cute," she cooed, holding the puppet up for her two friends. "Hiruko, this is Sasori," she explained, tipping the puppet's hat. "Sandaime, you should say 'hello,' too!" She moved Sasori so he pat Sandaime on the head and laughed when one of the puppet's feet fell out from beneath and gently kicked the chibi in the side. "Oh, little Sasori's getting into mischief already!"

Suddenly, there was a chiming sound coming from the clocks in the room. The old woman took out her pocket watch, and her eyes widened. "Oh, it's so late," she realized. "Time for bed. Up we go." She blew a kiss to Hiruko and set Sasori back down on the desk. She then took Sandaime upstairs and tucked him into his little bed. After changing into her nightgown, the woman crawled into her own bed and prepared to fall asleep when a glint caught her eye. "Look how bright that star is!" she gasped. "It's a perfect wishing star!" She got down on her knees and said, "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. I wish that Sasori was a real boy! My own son and his wife died many years ago, and they never had any children. Oh, I'd love to have a sweet grandson to love. Ah, wouldn't that be nice, Sandaime?" She smiled and got back into bed. She yawned and started to fall asleep, whispering, "I wish he was a real boy..."

I found myself feeling bad for the old woman. She lived all by herself in a house with two chibi creatures who couldn't talk. She made such wonderful toys and collectables that probably brought great joy to so many people, yet she had to be feeling so sad inside. I clasped my hands together and hoped she would find some happiness in her own life one day.

As I tried to fall asleep, I could see a light through my eyelids. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see that the star in the sky the old woman had wished upon was coming closer to the house. I rubbed my eyes violently as the star started to take shape. It was a fairy! A very handsome male fairy dressed entirely in blue! He pushed back his long, blond hair and smiled at the old woman. "Good Chiyo," he greeted, "you have brought so much joy to others. You deserve to have your wish come true, un." He turned to the puppet and said, "Little puppet made of pine, wake! The gift of life, un!" He tapped his wand down on the puppet's head, making it glow a bit. When the glow disappeared, the puppet rubbed his eyes and shifted a bit.

"I can move," he gasped, covering his mouth. "I can talk! I can walk!" He tried to get up, but his legs were still shaky, and he fell right back down to the desk, smiling sheepishly.

"Yes, Sasori," the fairy replied. "My name is Deidara the Blue Fairy, and I've given you life, un."

"Why?" Sasori asked.

Deidara smiled. "Because, tonight, Chiyo wished for a real boy."

"Am I a real boy?"

"Not yet, Sasori, un. You'll have to become one yourself."

"How?"

"Prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish. Then you'll be a real boy."

I watched the conversation go on for a little while. Poor Sasori was so confused by Deidara's words. Really though, could you blame him? He had just come into the world. I hopped down from my hiding place and said, "All you have to do is listen to your conscience!"

Sasori blinked innocently and smiled again. "Are you my conscience?"

"Would you like to be Sasori's conscience?" Deidara asked, kneeling down to my level. His gorgeous face was so close to mine, and I felt myself start to sweat. With someone that pretty asking you such a question, is it really possible to say no?

"Um...sure!" I agreed, under the spell of the fairy before me. "My name is Uchiha, Tobi Uchiha!"

Deidara nodded. "Tobi Uchiha, kneel please, un." I did as I was told and felt a magic start to surround me. "I dub thee Sasori's Conscience!" Deidara laughed. "You'll teach him right from wrong and how to avoid temptations. Stand please, un."

I did so and gasped. The fairy had transformed my clothes! They weren't bad before, but I looked rather classy in this new outfit. "Do I get a badge? A gold one?" I asked.

Deidara shrugged. "Maybe!" He smiled and turned back to the puppet. "Now then, Sasori, be a good boy and always let your conscience guide you, un!"

And, with that, the fairy was gone.

"Goodbye!" I called as I checked myself out in the reflection of a nearby mirror.

"Goodbye!" I heard Sasori repeat. He smiled at me for a moment and sat down, expecting something.

I knew that I had a job to do now. "Well, Saso," I began, "I'm going to teach you right from wrong. The world is full of temptations."

"Temptations?" the puppet repeated.

I nodded. "They're the wrong things that seem right at the time, but they're actually wrong...at some...certain times, and they...may seem wrong at the right and wrong times, but they're...always wrong! Get it?"

The puppet was silent for a moment. "Nope," he finally replied, shaking his head.

I laughed nervously and jumped up onto his wooden foot. "Well, let's try this then," I suggested. "If you ever need my help, all you have to do is whistle, like this!" And I demonstrated for the puppet boy to try. He finally got it after a few attempts, and I smiled proudly. "Very good! If at any point you meet a temptation, just give a little whistle, and I, your conscience, will come help you out."

"I'll always let my conscience be my guide!" Sasori squealed, jumping up. He tried to run forward but ended up tripping on his own two feet and falling forwards, crashing into a pile of art supplies. The sound woke Chiyo, Sandaime, and Hiruko.

"Who's there?!" the old woman gasped, terrified.

Sasori grinned. "It's me!"

That only scared the old woman more. She slowly got out of bed and lit a candle for light. She pulled a gun out from under her pillow and carried it in her opposite hand, making her way across the room to find the intruder. I couldn't help but giggle a bit at her actions. The poor old woman was so frightened.

"Here I am!" Sasori called, scaring Sandaime silly. The chibi freaked out and caused Chiyo to trip backwards so she landed face-first on the floor.

Chiyo slowly blinked and rubbed her head. When she finally came to her senses, she laughed. "Oh, Sasori, it's only you," she realized, picking the little puppet up. "I thought someone had gotten in here."

"Nope!" Sasori cheered. "It's just me!"

Chiyo nearly had a heart attack. "You're talking!" she gasped. "Oh, my gosh, you're moving, too! No, this can't be real. I must be dreaming! Wake up!" She splashed her face with some cold water in a bucket next to the desk and rubbed her eyes, unbelieving at what she was seeing. "Okay, say something now," she told the puppet.

Sasori laughed. "You're funny. Do it again!"

"You really ARE talking!" Chiyo gasped, happy this time. "You really are alive!"

"Uh-huh!" the puppet replied. "Deidara the Blue Fairy came and gave me a life. Then I got a conscience, and I'm gonna be a real boy!"

"A real boy?" Chiyo squealed. "Oh, my gosh, it's my wish come true!" She picked up the child and happily hugged him close, thankful for her fortune. "You have to meet the others, too," she continued, setting the puppet down on the floor. "Say hello to Sandaime Kazekage."

"Hello to Sandaime Kazekage," Sasori repeated, patting the chibi on its head.

"And this," Chiyo continued, "is Hiruko, my scorpion. Say hello."

"Hello," Sasori repeated, waving to Hiruko. Hiruko was so happy he jumped up and gave the puppet a tiny peck on the cheek. He then did the same to Sandaime, causing the chibi to recoil in disgust.

"This calls for a celebration!" Chiyo cheered. "Music!" She went around to all her music boxes and pressed all their buttons activating all the happy tunes. She and Sasori danced about the room with Sandaime and Hiruko following in their own way. I even found myself dancing around a bit!

Suddenly, Sasori looked up to the lit candle resting on the table. "Pretty!" he said, reaching out to touch the flame. Only...his wooden finger caught on fire! I tried to dump some water on it, but my hat was too small to hold a decent amount.

Poor Chiyo panicked and ran around the room, trying to find the water from earlier. Thinking fast, she grabbed the puppet and stuck his finger into Hiruko's water bowl, immediately putting out the flames. She heaved a huge sigh of relief and said, "Maybe we should go to bed." She walked back to her bed and settled herself and the puppet.

"Why?" Sasori asked as his grandmother tucked him in.

"Because everyone goes to sleep," Chiyo explained, her eyes closing. "Tomorrow, you're going to go to school to...learn things...and get smart..." In no time, she was asleep.

Sasori snuggled up next to the woman and nodded. "Oh."

* * *

The next morning, Sasori excitedly woke to the sound of children running through the streets. He awoke Chiyo and hopped out of bed, the old woman and Sandaime following closely behind. The puppet boy dressed in his best clothes and ran out the door, staring at the children rushing by.

"What are those?" he asked, pointing to the crowd.

Chiyo put a jacket over her grandson's shirt and looked out at the street. "Those are your new schoolmates," she replied. "You'll be running off to the Academy with them." She nodded, satisfied with her work, and handed the puppet an apple. "Give this to the teacher," she instructed as she picked up the book that Sandaime dragged outside, "and use this to learn."

Sasori nodded. "Okay, I will. Bye, Grandma!"

"Goodbye, Sasori!" Chiyo replied as the puppet ran off. "Come home as soon as lessons are over!" She picked up Sandaime, who was eager to follow her grandson, and walked back inside the house.

As the children continued on their way to school, a duo walked down the street in the opposite direction. They appeared to be travelers trying to pass themselves off as those of high society, as theit suits were torn and covered in patches. One of them grinned a little. "Look at that, Kabuto," he said. "All the little children are making their way to school. Their thirsty little minds are craving water from the fountain of knowledge. School really is a great establishment, don't you think?" He didn't even bother to wait for a response, because something else caught his eye. It was a poster advertising a marionette show. "Look!" the man gasped. "Sabaku no Kankuro is back in town. Remember the time I tied strings to you and passed you off as a puppet, Kabuto? Ha! We almost made off like bandits with that one."

Just as the two men were about to continue on their way, they caught sight of Sasori walking down the street. Kabuto barely noticed but the older man gasped. "It's a live puppet without strings! Oh man, someone has to be wanting that. Wait! Kankuro! He'll pay a fortune for that little guy! Come on, Kabuto, we've got to grab this one." He snuck his partner down another road and waited around the corner for Sasori to appear. Once the puppet boy did, the man stuck out his cane from the shadows, causing the child to fall.

"OH, I'M SO SORRY," the man gasped in faux surprise. "Are you okay there?" He picked Sasori up, dusted him off, snatched the apple, and took a big bite. "Where are you off to?"

"School!" Sasori replied.

"School?" the man repeated. "If you're on your way there, you obviously haven't heard about the easy road to success."

Sasori shook his head. "Nu-uh."

"Then let old Orochimaru tell you!" the man replied. "I'm speaking of the theatre! Child, you could have music, dancing, applause, and fame!"

This seemed to spark Sasori's interest. "Fame?"

"Of course!" Orochimaru reasoned while Kabuto nodded happily. "You're a natural-born actor. Come with me now. We'll get you set up!" He took Sasori's hand and led him down another street, singing, "Hi diddle dee, an actor's life for me!"

I arrived on the scene just in time. I mean, really, how could I possibly have overslept on the first day?! Regardless, I was happy I woke up when I did, because I found Sasori walking down the street with Orochimaru and Kabuto, singing something about being an actor.

"Saso!" I shouted, trying to get the puppet's attention. "Saso, stop!" I jumped up onto Orochimaru's hat and whistled, stopping the trio. The pale man looked about, trying to find the source of the sound, and I found myself face-to-face with Kabuto. I shushed the man and then tried to get Sasori's attention, but the man soon realized what was happening. He pulled a mallet from underneath his cape and smacked down on Orochimaru's head. Luckily, I jumped off just in time and ran in front of Sasori.

"Oh, hi, Tobi!" the puppet laughed. "I'm gonna be an actor!"

"No, you're not!" I asserted. "Listen, you have to tell the man that your very sorry but you can't go with him to the theatre. Remember what I said about temptations? This is one of them! Let's just run off to school, okay?" I watched as Kabuto pulled the hat off Orochimaru, sending the pale man flying into a nearby puddle. I shook my head and sighed. These guys were trouble.

Orochimaru stood and dried himself off quickly. "Ready to go to the theatre?" he asked.

I expected Sasori to reject the offer, but, to my surprise, the puppet nodded and followed him down the road. I smacked my forehead and followed after them. This project was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

* * *

By the time I found Sasori, it was late at night, and a traveling puppeteer named Kankuro was putting on a performance on the edge of town. I stood atop a nearby light post and watched, curious to see what would happen to the puppet boy. After all, the show was a complete sell out.

"And, to conclude tonight's performance," Kankuro announced, "I, the Great Kankuro, would like to present to you all the only puppet in the world who can move without strings! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the one, the only...Sasori!" He lifted the curtain and started the music as the spotlight focused on the puppet boy on stage.

Sasori seemed excited. He tried walking down the stairs but tripped and fell onto the stage. The entire audience laughed at him, and Kankuro was angry. He started to scold the puppet until he realized that the audience was enjoying the silliness. He smiled innocently and sent Sasori back to his performance.

I rolled my eyes. "Go on, make a fool out of yourself," I muttered. "Then you'll listen to your conscience."

"I've got no strings!" Sasori sang as he started to dance across the stage. "None to hold me back or keep me down or make me frown. There are no strings on me!" He continued to sing even after the scenery changed. Marionettes came down onto the stage and started to dance. I was sort of impressed actually, because seeing them made me realize how miraculous Sasori was in the first place.

By the time the performance was over, the stage was covered in money. Kankuro bowed for the audience and picked up some of the cash, thanking them. Sasori bowed, too, completely oblivious that I was there.

I hopped down from the light pole and headed for home. "They really liked him," I whispered. "They liked him a lot! He's a total success! Wow, maybe I was wrong. Besides, what would an actor want with a conscience anyway?"

* * *

Later that night, it started to rain heavily outside. Chiyo watched the droplets fall anxiously. "Where could he possibly be?" she asked. "Sandaime, what do you think? Where could Sasori have gone?"

Sandaime was a little too preoccupied with the meal before him to bother listening to the old woman. He was just about to take a bite when Chiyo put on her coat. "I better go look for him. No one eats a bite until I find him!" With that, she took her lantern and walked out the door, leaving poor Sandaime and Hiruko hungry.

* * *

Just on the opposite end of town sat Kankuro's wagon. The puppet master sat in the back compartment with Sasori watching him from the table. Kankuro was laughing hysterically, celebrating his victory. He stuffed the food sitting on the table as he counted the money he had collected from the show.

"You did a fantastic job, Sasori," the man complimented as he pushed another stack of coins to the side. "You're my little money maker."

Sasori smiled innocently. "Does that mean I'm good?"

"You're perfect!" the man shot back happily. "I'm going to push you into the public's eye. Your face will be everywhere!" He laughed a bit more and started to count another stack of money when he caught sight of a rusty piece of metal. Kankuro was about to shout in frustration when he got a better idea. "For you," he told Sasori, placing it into the puppet's hand.

"Wow, thank you!" the redhead replied. "I'll go tell my grandmother!"

Kankuro was just about to take a drink of wine when he heard those words. He coughed wildly and stared at the puppet. "Go home to tell your grandmother?" he asked. "Ha! That's really funny!"

Sasori grinned. "I'll be back in the morning!"

Kankuro picked Sasori up and started to walk towards the door leading to outside the wagon. He laughed a bit to distract the puppet and then threw him into a cage. "THERE!!" he shouted. "This will be your home now. I'll be able to keep an eye on you!"

Sasori's eyes widened in realization. "No, no, no!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Kankuro fought back. "We are going to tour the world, and YOU are going to make me rich!" A smirk grew on his face. "Of course, there will come a time when you get old. And when that happens, you'll make GOOD FIREWOOD!!" He threw an awe into a box of old puppets and laughed as he walked out to the front of the wagon. Sasori tried to call after him, but the wagon soon started to move.

"Tobi!" the puppet cried. He tried whistling. "Tobi!"

The thing was that I could barely hear him over the roar of the thunder. I saw on the side of the street. "There he goes," I sighed. "I guess he's off to make himself famous. Who would have thought?" I started making my way back to Chiyo's house, murmuring, "At least I'd like to wish him well. Hey, yeah! That's exactly what I'll do!"

I ran over to the wagon and jumped up on the back end to sneak inside. Once I was safe there, I realized I could barely see anything. "Sasori?"

"Tobi!!" the puppet squealed from the cage. "Oh, my gosh, I'm so happy to see you!"

I was shocked to see Sasori locked up. It just wasn't right! "What did he do to you?!" I gasped as I hopped up to the cage.

"He said he'd chop me into firewood!" the puppet sobbed. "Please help me, Tobi! I'm sorry I didn't listen to you!"

"It's alright, Saso," I replied. "I'll get you out of here." I jumped into the little lock and tried messing around with the screws and mechanisms that made it work, but the lock itself was very old and rusty. When I tried to unlock it, it flung me backwards! I shook my head to come to my senses and sighed. "I'm sorry, Sasori."

The puppet was devastated. "So...you can't open it?" he asked.

"No, I'm sorry. It'll take a miracle to get you out of here."

What neither of us knew was that Chiyo was right outside calling for us. The booming thunder silenced her voice.

* * *

We sat in the back of that wagon for quite some time, just the two of us. It was incredibly lonely and sad thinking about how we'd never see the old village or Chiyo ever again. "I should have listened to you, Tobi," Sasori wept.

"No, I shouldn't have walked out on you," I replied. "Oh well, I guess it could be worse." I glanced out the window and smiled. "At least the rain has let up."

At that moment, there was a familiar glow in the sky, and it slowly came closer and closer to the wagon. I gasped. "It's the fairy!!"

Sasori panicked. "What do I do?! What do I tell him?!"

I looked for a place to hide. "You could tell him the truth!" I jumped into a nearby bowl just as the fairy appeared.

"Sasori, un?"

The puppet's eyes widened. "Um...hello, Deidara."

The blonde's eyes softened. "And Tobi?"

I twitched a bit and emerged. "Hello, Sir."

"Sasori," the fairy continued, "why didn't you go to school, un?"

"School?" Sasori repeated. "Um...I was going to...until I met someone!"

"Met someone?" Deidara repeated. "Oh, who was it?"

Sasori was quiet for a moment and looked to me for advice. I motioned for him to tell the fairy what really happened, but the puppet decided to tell his own story. "I met two big monsters! They tied me in a sack!"

...WHAT?! Well, I suppose I wasn't the only surprised one. After all, Sasori's nose started to grow!

"Goodness, un!" Deidara gasped. "What about Tobi?"

"They tied him in a little sack!" The nose grew longer.

"Really?" the fairy asked. "How did you escape?"

"I didn't!" Sasori explained as his nose grew again. "They chopped me into firewood!" He gasped when he finally realized how long his nose had grown. It was over four feet long! "Oh, my gosh!" he cried. "What's happening?!"

Deidara frowned. "Perhaps you haven't been telling the truth, Sasori, un."

...PERHAPS?!

"You see," the fairy continued, "I lie only grows until it's as plain as the nose on your face."

Sasori thought about this and then looked up to the fairy with pleading eyes. "Oh, please help me! I swear I'll never tell another lie ever again!"

"Please?" I added, getting down on my knees.

That beautiful smile returned to Deidara's face. "Alright," he agreed, "I'll help you. But remember, Sasori, that if you're not good, you may as well be made out of wood." He waved his wand, and Sasori's nose shrunk back down to its original size. The door to the cage was also open, and the fairy was gone.

Sasori and I snuck out the back end of the wagon and watched as Kankuro rode off into the night, unaware that his prize had escaped. Satisfied, the two of us ran back into town to Chiyo's house.

* * *

The rain left the ground wet and the air thick and misty. It was the perfect cover for the illegal bar just outside town. Inside was Orochimaru, singing his song about the theatre while Kabuto chugged down a mug of beer. Across from them sat a beautiful woman dressed in a red coat and black hat. She listened to them nonchalantly and smiled a bit every so often.

"And the little fool still thinks we're his friends!" Orochimaru laughed. "We made some good money by selling him to Kankuro." He pulled out the small bag of gold coins and set them on the table for the woman to see. "So? What do you think, Sakura?"

The woman's grin widened a bit. "I guess that's okay," she replied. "However, I've got an offer if the two of you want to make some REAL money." She reached down, picked up a bag by her feet, and threw it on the table. It was at least ten times larger than the little bag.

Orochimaru's golden eyes widened with greed. "Ah, I see," he confirmed. "Tell me, Sakura-sama, who do we need to, ahem, 'take out'?"

Sakura shook her head. "You make me sound so evil, Orochimaru. I'm not interested in anything like that." Her green eyes narrowed a bit as she focused on the pale man. "You see, I'm collecting stupid, little boys. You know, the ones who misbehave and stuff."

Orochimaru nodded. "Ah, yes, go on."

Sakura smirked. "And I take them to Pleasure Island."

"PLEASURE ISLAND?!" the man gasped in shock, Kabuto hiccuping his beer and falling backwards. Orochimaru stuttered and tried to find the right words. "But...there's a law! What if...?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Sakura replied. "Just send any of those awful, little boys to me. I'll take care of them in no time. After all, none of them ever come back...AS BOYS."

* * *

Sasori and I ran home as fast as we could. "I'm going to go to school!" the little puppet announced.

I smiled proudly. "That's the spirit!"

"I'll get really smart so Grandma Chiyo doesn't have to worry!"

"Good idea! I'll race you home!"

The two of us ran faster towards Chiyo's cottage. I was far ahead of him when two people snuck up behind us.

"Where are you running, Sasori?"

"I gotta get home." The puppet boy turned. "Oh, hello, Orochimaru."

"Hello indeed!" the pale man replied. "But...why are you not in the theatre anymore?"

Sasori shook his head. "I don't want to be an actor. Kankuro was so mean to me."

"He WAS?!" Orochimaru cried in mock terror. "Oh, you poor thing! You may look fine, but I bet that you're a nervous wreck. That's it! You ARE a nervous wreck! Oh, we'll have to diagnose this quickly. Doctor! Write this down!"

Kabuto pulled out a notepad and started writing down everything Orochimaru said, which was really nothing but a lot of nonsense. He made up all sorts of symptoms for whatever he was trying to get at and pretended to check things like the pulse and other vital signs. He even held up a polka-dotted handkerchief so Sasori would see spots!

"I'VE GOT IT," the pale man finally announced. He took the notepad from Kabuto and pretended to read it, though it was just a page of scribbles. "You're allergic!" he finally said.

"Allergic?" Sasori repeated.

Orochimaru nodded. "And the only cure is a vacation on Pleasure Island!"

Sasori shook his head. "No, I can't go. A vacation sounds nice, but I have to go home to my grandma."

"Oh, but I insist!" the pale man shouted as Kabuto nodded behind him. "Here's your ticket!" He pulled out a playing card from his sleeve and took Sasori by the arm. "Off to Pleasure Island we go! Hi diddle dee, it's Pleasure Isle for me!"

I didn't notice that the duo had snatched Sasori up until I was far ahead of him. Once I realized they were gone, I ran after them as fast as I could.

* * *

I followed Sasori, ended up on another wagon full of other little boys who appeared to be around his age. Sakura, the coach-woman, was leading it, smiling the whole time. Next to her was the puppet himself with another boy next to him.

"You ever been to Pleasure Island?" the boy asked.

Sasori shook his head. "No, but Orochimaru gave me this!" He held up the card.

"I haven't been there either," the boy replied, "but I hear it's a great place. There's plenty to eat, plenty to drink. There are rides and games, and you can trash the place, and no one will care! By the way, my name's Itachi. You?"

"Sasori!"

"Well, Sasori, I hope we both have a good time."

Eventually the boys were placed on a ship that spent little time out on the water. In no time, it arrived at a small island. Sakura welcomed all of the boys to have fun in what looked like the most amazing theme park ever! It was packed with roller coasters, ferris wheels, and other rides all nestled between food and drink carts. The boys were invited to get into fights, destroy buildings, smoke cigars, and drink alcohol.

Sakura grinned as she watched all of this. She giggled to herself and shouted to a group of men, "Lock the doors! Go get the crates!"

I knew this had to be bad. After all, this was not how boys were supposed to act. I searched for Sasori well into the night until the place was quieter than a graveyard, which was amazing considering how loud the boys were. I called out for the puppet, but he never replied, and I wondered where he could have gone.

He and Itachi were actually in the club on the island. They were playing pool while smoking their cigars, the ashes falling next to their mugs of beer.

Itachi hit a ball into a pocket and grinned. "This is the best kind of place to go. I ever tell you I got a brother, Saso? Heh, he's the good boy in the family. I'd rather be here having fun."

Sasori nodded and puffed a bit on the cigar. "Yeah!" he agreed. "Being bad is a lot of fun!"

Itachi suddenly frowned. "You still taking baby puffs? Ha! Take a big breath like this!" He put the cigar in his mouth and breathed deeply, then exhaling a hug ball of smoke. Sasori copied the movements but swallowed the smoke by accident, getting himself sick. Regardless, he hopped onto the pool table for his turn.

That was when I found him. "SASORI!!" I shouted, making the puppet jump in surprise. "So this is how I find you?! Smoking? Drinking? Playing pool? You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" I jumped up onto the table and glared at the wooden boy.

Suddenly, I felt myself rising off the table. "Hey, who's the chibi?" Itachi asked. I shouted at the boy to put me down, but he just smirked a bit and twisted me around in the air.

"That's Tobi," Sasori explained. "He's my conscience."

"Your conscience?" Itachi repeated. "You take orders from this chibi?"

I finally managed to release myself from the boy's grasp and fell onto the pool table with a hard thunk. I dusted myself off and snapped, "It wouldn't hurt to take a few orders from YOUR conscience, if you have one!"

"Yeah, yeah," the black-haired boy sighed, "screwball in the corner pocket." He aimed his shot right at me, and two of the billiard balls fell right on top of the other into the hole at the end of the table. I fought my way back up to the table and tried to fight the kid, but Sasori stopped me.

"Oh, please don't hurt him!" the puppet begged. "He's my best friend."

"Your best friend?!" I gasped. "And what am I? Just your conscience?!" I growled a bit and stormed off. "You want to make a jackass of yourself? Then I guess you don't need me!"

"Wait, Tobi!" I heard Sasori call.

Itachi flicked his hair back and refilled his beer mug. "Aw, let him go."

* * *

I angrily stomped through the remains of the park, muttering to myself. I mean, really, I had done so much for Sasori! And then he goes and trades me in for that Itachi jerk! I made my way up to the entrance of the island, still seething, and went to knock on the door to be let out.

That was when I heard a strange noise. I managed to squeeze myself underneath the door and look out at the dock. There, I saw a large boat and several crates of donkeys on shore. The coach-woman from earlier was there, whip in hand, and ordered several men dressed in black to put the donkeys on board the ship. She scolded the donkeys every time they made a noise and stared down a particular group in the corner.

"You idiots over there!" she shouted. "SHUT UP!! You boys have had your fun, and now you have to pay for it!" She smirked. "Well, I'll be getting those payments soon enough. The salt mines love little asses like you."

Suddenly, everything started to make sense. The donkeys were the boys on Pleasure Island! They really HAD made jackasses of themselves! I knew I had to get back to Sasori, so I ran as fast as I could back to the club where Sasori and Itachi were still playing pool.

"Who cares about a conscience?" Itachi murmured as he hit another ball. Sasori watched in horror and pushed his mug of beer to the side when he saw two long ears poke out of the boy's head. The dark-haired boy hit another ball and said, "How do you expect to be a real boy, huh?" That was when a tail emerged, and Sasori put the cigar down. Itachi turned to him and laughed. "I mean, what does he think I look like? A jackass?"

"You sure do!" Sasori laughed. But after a moment, he made a strange noise.

"Hey!" Itachi gasped. "You sound just like a donkey!" He started to laugh, but he, too, made the strange noise. He covered his mouth instantly and started to feel his face and body. When he looked in the nearby mirror, he saw he was half-way transformed. "HOLY AMATERASU!!" he screamed in terror. "Help me! Help me!" He turned to Sasori and tried to beg, but his hands turned into hooves, and he lost all forms of communication. Frustrated and scared, the boy went nuts, frightening Sasori, too. Even the puppet was starting to change though!

That was when I got there. "Sasori! You, too!" I cried. "Come on, we have to get off this island!" I motioned for the redhead to run. He grabbed me and the two of us escaped to the very end of Pleasure Island. Sasori was so desperate to get away that he jumped over the side of a cliff into the ocean and swam all the way back home.

"Oh, Sasori," I gasped as soon as we made it to dry land. "I thought we'd never make it."

The puppet boy picked me up carefully. "Are you okay, Tobi?" he asked, true concern laced into his voice.

I nodded. "I'm alright. Let's go home."

* * *

Sasori and I were so happy to finally see that little, old cottage again. "Grandma! Grandma!" the puppet called, knocking on the door. "It's me, Sasori!"

"Hello, Miss Chiyo!" I added. "We're home!"

After a few minutes of waiting, we still got no response. Sasori and I exchanged confused looks, and I jumped up to the window to see if Chiyo was there. To our surprise, no one was home. Chiyo, Sandaime, and Hiruko were all gone, and the house looked as though it had not been occupied for days.

Defeated, the puppet boy sat on the front step to wait for his grandmother. "I really hope nothing bad happened to her," he sighed.

Just then, a blue piece of paper floated down the sky. Curious, I hopped over to it and started to read, my eyes growing wide as I did. "It's about Granny Chiyo, Saso!" I gasped. "It says that she went out looking for you and got swallowed by Sanbi, the legendary three-tailed beast, at the bottom of the sea!"

"That must be a message from Deidara!" Sasori concluded. "Come on, Tobi, we have to go save my grandmother."

I was shocked. "But she's all the way at the bottom of the sea!"

"I don't care," the puppet asserted. "She's my grandmother. I have to help her!" He raced to the edge of town and climbed the cliff that overlooked the sea. I watched as he tied his donkey tail around a nearby rock for weight in the water. I didn't want to go, but I knew I had to, so I jumped in right after the puppet. Actually it was probably easier for Sasori to look for Sanbi, as he didn't have to worry about air!

The two of us swam through the water for a very long time, running into several different kinds of marine life along the way. Fishes, crabs, starfish, clams, and octopi all stopped to observe us, wondering why such strange creatures were in the ocean. It only took one question for them to panic and swim away in fear.

"Do you know where we can find Sanbi?"

All our help was gone with that sentence, so we decided to continue our search alone.

* * *

Sanbi was sleeping at the deepest point of the ocean. He was huge, big enough to swallow an entire ship. Little bubbles emerged from his mouth as rested, the only sign of life.

Inside his stomach was a rather small ship with a single light coming from the deck. On that deck was none other than Chiyo, who was fishing off the end. "Not a bite for days," she sighed as the hook came up bare.

Little Sandaime was fishing, too, but he had no luck either. He looked over to Hiruko, who was searching his tiny home for a trace of food. Both were especially sad and scared, and they looked to Chiyo for help.

"I never thought it would end this way," the old woman murmured, "starving to death in the belly of a whale. Oh, I miss my adorable Sasori so much. He was the best thing that ever happened to me." She paused and looked at the water below. "And if the monster doesn't wake up soon, we're done for."

Luckily for Chiyo, a rather large school of fish was swimming by. Sanbi opened his one good eye and peered at the fish, an evil idea forming in his head. He waited until the fish were close enough and suddenly lashed out at them, swallowing as many as he could.

Sasori and I happened to be near that school at the time. We watched as the fish suddenly turned and swam in the opposite direction, and when we looked ahead, we saw Sanbi chasing after them!

"We have to get out of here!" I cried as Sasori began to swim. We tried our very hardest to swim ahead of the fish, but Sanbi was incredibly fast. As soon as we hit the surface, Sanbi jumped up and took Sasori into his mouth, swallowing him down. I was left outside, so I jumped into a floating bottle in order to avoid the seagulls.

Sasori thrashed about in the water and heard the familiar sound of his grandmother's voice. Chiyo was catching as many fish as she could and throwing them into a nearby barrel. Sandaime kept them down while little Hiruko cheered from his home. Sasori clutched onto one of the fish Chiyo had latched and called out for her.

"Grandma!!"

Chiyo turned and gasped in surprised delight. "MY LITTLE SASORI!!" she cried, grabbing onto the puppet and holding him close. "Oh, my gosh, I thought I'd never see you again! I can't believe you came all the way down here."

"I came to rescue you, Grandma," the redhead replied, hugging the old woman back. "Everyone else is here, too, right? Sandaime! Hiruko!"

Chiyo sat her grandson down on a chair and wrapped an old blanket around him. "Oh, Sasori, I was so worried about you." She smiled and tried to dry the puppet's wooden limbs. When she took his hat off, she was in for a surprise. "What are those ears?!"

"Oh, these?" Sasori asked, clutching the donkey ears. "Um...they're no big deal. I've got a tail, too."

Chiyo frowned, a look of concern on her face. "Sasori, what's happened to you?"

The little puppet was nervous. "Um...I...uh..."

Suddenly, the smile returned to Chiyo's face. "Oh, don't worry about it. All that matters is that you're here and safe. I'm so happy. Now then, let's cook some of the fish and eat."

Sasori cocked his head. "There's no way to get out?"

"No, the monster only opens its mouth to eat."

"Nothing else?"

"No. Nothing goes out." Chiyo frowned again at her grandson's disappointed reaction. "Well, we'll be okay. We'll make a fire and start things up."

Everything was silent until Sasori's face brightened. "That's it!" he cheered. "We'll make a fire! A really big one!" He started to run around the old ship, collecting as much wood as he could. He piled it all together and threw the lit candle down, starting the burning. Smiling, Sasori turned to his grandmother and said, "If there's lots of smoke, the monster will sneeze us out!"

"Sneeze us out?" Chiyo repeated. "Well, I guess that would put the raft I made to good use, but...oh, that'll make him really angry."

It worked. In a very short amount of time, smoke was beginning to pour from Sanbi's mouth. The monster opened his jaws, and I floated into its mouth, only to see Sasori, Chiyo, Sandaime, and Hiruko gathered together on a tiny raft. I jumped onto the end and waited as they tried to paddle their way out of the mouth. Finally, Sanbi couldn't take it anymore, and he sneezed violently, propelling the raft out to the ocean.

"We did it!" Sasori cheered.

Chiyo gasped and watched as Sanbi started to swim towards them. "But I told you it would make him angry!" She and the puppet paddled as hard as they could, praying for a miracle. Sanbi was hot on their tail, chasing them all the way to the seashore. Whenever he jumped out of the water, his body would cause the waves to crash against the small raft. At one point, they became too much, and the raft fell apart. Chiyo gasped for air as she started to sink, but Sasori grabbed her before she could go underwater. He swam for the nearest shore, which happened to be beyond a small opening. The tide was too high though, and Sanbi was getting closer. Finally, the waters receded a bit, and Sasori was able to swim to the other side. Sanbi was too large to follow them and crashed into the rock formation surrounding the opening.

The calmer waters carried Chiyo, Sandaime, and Hiruko to shore. I even wound up on the sand, still inside my bottle. I shook the water out of my ears and crawled onto the nearest rock to get a better look. "Sasori!" I called. "Sasori!" I looked to the side, and there was the puppet boy, his body motionless and submerged in water.

* * *

Even though we were all home and safe, no one was happy. Chiyo rested little Sasori's down on her bed and sobbed at his side. "My adorable...little Sasori..." The poor woman was heartbroken.

Sandaime and Hiruko watched on, their heads down in mourning. I couldn't hold the tears back. After everything we had been though, Sasori didn't deserve his fate. He really had turned out to be a good boy.

What we didn't see was the soft, blue light coming from the stars. If I were watching, I would have known that light anywhere. It was Deidara! His voice was soft in Sasori's ear. "You have proven yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish," he whispered gently. "Awake, Sasori." The blue light dimmed down to be replaced with tiny sparkles, and when they disappeared, Sasori awoke.

"Grandma?" he murmured. "Grandma, what are you crying for?"

"Because...you're dead, Sasori," Chiyo sobbed.

Sasori shook his head and laughed. "No, I'm not, Grandma! I'm alive!" He glanced at himself and gasped. No longer was his body made out of wood. His limbs could move freely, and his head wasn't hollow. That could only mean one thing. "I'm alive, Grandma!" Sasori repeated. "And I'm a real boy!"

Chiyo looked up and gasped at her grandson. He really WAS a real boy! A real, living, breathing, little boy! "Oh, Sasori!" she squealed, pulling her grandson into a tight hug. Sandaime was so happy he clutched Hiruko tightly, but the scorpion didn't seem to mind. "This calls for a celebration!" Chiyo announced, turning on all the music boxes and clocks in the house. She and Sasori danced about cheerfully, celebrating their new lives together.

I smiled. It was so much like the scene where I had first come in! Satisfied, I put on my coat and walked outside into the night air. There was a rather bright, shining star gleaming in the sky. "Thank you so much, Sir Deidara," I said. "Sasori really deserves it."

Suddenly, there was a faint, blue light shining on me! I looked at myself to see that a gold badge had formed on my clothes. It said that I was an official conscience! I was so happy I turned to the sky and blew the star a kiss, thanking the fairy for all he had done.

To this day, I still swear I could hear that fairy's soft voice in my head. He was singing something, I'm sure of it!

_If your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true._

And they all lived happily ever after.

THE END

Next (The Finale!): Rin as Kairi


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